Summary Of On The Subway By Sharon Old

Racial tension, a concept that has been around several years ago, and is still occurring now. The cold war between the whites and blacks greatly affect both present and future relationships such as: walking past each other with the urge to start a fight, children growing up with racist mindsets, and even something as simple as being near one another with hate. In Sharon Old's poem, "On the Subway," a description of Old's's encounter with a black man is set. Several poetic devises were included to enforce her hasty behavior and mindset such as: imagery, tone, and analogies. Her whole poem pictures up a scene where she is riding the subway with a black man, and feels unease of his appearance. Throughout the first half, she describes his
certain attire and look, which made her weary. She mentioned, "He has the casual cold look of a mugger, alert under hooded lids." A mugger is someone who either beats or steals another person's belongings, which would make it obvious why she was scared. However, what does a "muggers face" supposed to look like?